The ambassador for the 15 billion tree planting campaign, Truphena Muthoni, has urged Kenyans to take advantage of the short rains to plant more trees.
Muthoni said the president’s ambitious target can only be achieved through a collective effort, stressing on the need for every citizen to take part in the campaign.
“I would like to urge all of us to take advantage of the short rains and plant as many trees as possible. We need to take personal responsibility and make our country green,” she said.
Muthoni said she was partnering with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and other state agencies, as well as like-minded organizations, to sensitize members of the public on the importance of planting trees as a way of attaining the 15 billion tree target by 2032.
The environmentalist was speaking at Kabirui-ini Forest in Nyeri County when she led Kenya Forest Service officers in planting 1,000 indigenous trees.
The forest is rich in diverse indigenous tree species, especially medicinal ones like the famous Carrisa edulis, also known as the Loliondo Wonder, which used to see people travel all the way to Tanzania in search of the healing concoction made from it.
“We have planted a lot of medicinal and indigenous trees, which is part of the focus of my campaign. I am championing for indigenous trees because they require little care and have medicinal value,” she said.
According to Nyeri County Forest Conservator Esther Mugo, Nyeri still has the highest tree cover (45.17 per cent) in the country.
To further boost these statistics, the conservator said that the county has so far planted about 300 hectares of trees in establishment plantations, which are harvested for timber.
Mugo said that with the help of Community Forest Associations, KFS has managed to rehabilitate 50 hectares of degraded forest areas with indigenous trees.
“We haven’t stopped because the rains are still on, especially within the Mt. Kenya forest. I would like to urge Kenyans to plant as many trees as they can, especially along the rivers and near water bodies, so that together, we can fight climate change,” she said.
“In order for us to attain the 15 billion target, we need to shift our focus from just rehabilitating degraded forests. My plea to Kenyans, especially the ones with large farms, is to plant exotic, indigenous and fruit trees in their homes. Whereas indigenous and exotic trees take long to mature, the farmer will have benefited from environmental services. The fruit trees, on the other hand, come with health benefits of fruits, which can be harvested for subsistence and the surplus sold,” she added.
Additionally, Mugo noted that the appointment of Truphena as the ambassador of the national 15 billion tree campaign will go a long way in encouraging the youth to participate in the campaign.
“We feel privileged to have her in the county because she will act as a link between us and the youth. Most of the time young people have not been taking part in the nationwide exercise, but now with Truphena as an ambassador, more youth will be motivated to plant trees,” said Mugo.
By Wangari Mwangi
